An X-ray inspection system, such as a luggage and/or baggage X-ray based inspection system at an airport security checkpoint and/or other location, includes a transport apparatus (e.g., a conveyor belt) that transports an object for inspection from a first or loading location to a second or inspection location, where it is exposed to X-rays and imaged by an imaging apparatus, and then to a third or unloading location where the scanned or inspected object can be retrieved.
X-rays include ionizing radiation, and human exposure to ionizing radiation may cause damage to living tissue, which can result in mutation, radiation sickness, cancer, and death. As such, the transport apparatus has included X-ray shielding tunnels, inside of which the conveyor belt moves the object from the loading location to the inspection location and from the inspection location to the unloading location, with static vertical strips of an X-ray attenuating material such as lead at entrance and exit ports of the X-ray shielding tunnels.
As an object for inspection traverse the entrance port, the object (and/or a container carrying the object) physically contacts and displaces the static vertical strips. Unfortunately, this temporarily reduces the X-ray shielding, allowing X-rays to leave through the entrance port. Likewise, when the object traverses the exit port, the object (and/or the container carrying the object) physically contacts and displaces the static vertical strips. Again, unfortunately, this temporarily reduces the X-ray shielding, allowing X-rays to leave through the exit port.
Furthermore, as the object moves through the static vertical strips, friction between the object (and/or the container) may cause the object (and/or the container) to move in a manner which results in the object (and/or the container) becoming jammed in the X-ray shielding tunnel. Furthermore, when multiple objects are serially transported in the tunnel in different transporting areas and individually inspected, it may not be readily easy to ascertain when a particular object of a subject has moved to the unloading location where the subject can retrieve the object.